SB Nation - Jerod Mayo

Peyton Manning gets the ultimate compliment

Will — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:38:04 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning reacts after he threw a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The Colts won 35-34.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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I know this is a University of Tennessee sports blog, and he hasn't played here in a dozen years. I also know I am a Tennessee Titans fan, which means more often than not the Colts are enemies instead of friends.

But Peyton Manning, age 33, SEC and Super Bowl Champion, has entered the rarest of airs in the sports universe: you'd better watch this guy every chance you get. He won't be around forever, and eventually he will get old. But right now, he's not human. I'm not sure he's ever been. And when you have ties to this guy the way we're privileged to, you hold on to them as tight as you can. Even if you're a Titans fan.

Manning's lone imperfection - "can't win the big one!" - seems like it died an awfully long time ago now. It was always a notion that I hated here at Tennessee; just because our defense couldn't stop Florida didn't mean Manning didn't win big games here. Being the instrument of change in the Tennessee-Alabama rivalry and winning the '97 SEC Championship Game to get to the Bowl Alliance National Championship Game certainly qualify.

But as Bob Costas pointed out in the postgame, the Colts - once losers of seven of eight against mighty New England - have now won five of the last six. Manning hasn't just stopped the bleeding in this rivalry, he pulled the knife out and stabbed Belichick in the heart with it. And tonight wasn't the first time.

The 2007 AFC Championship Game - which for my money is the best NFL game of the decade - changed everything for Peyton. And once you saw the Colts come back from a three possession hole on that night, there's been no reason to turn off one of their games early ever since.

So tonight, in the matchup that's the best quality guarantee in all of professional sports, when New England gets up 24-7 in the first half? Eh. Or when the Patriots go up 34-21 with 4:12 to play? With Manning on the field, the game is never out of reach.

And tonight, Bill Belichick - love him or hate him, the most successful coach of this era - a guy who once tortured Manning on cold January afternoons in Foxboro...tonight Bill Belichick paid Peyton Manning the ultimate compliment.

Facing 4th and 2 at their own 28 with 2:08 to play, leading by six points...Belichick decided to go for it.

He'd just seen Manning rip his vaunted defense - with apologies to Jerod Mayo, who's awesome - in less than two minutes to pull the Colts within one score. And so the most successful coach of his era decides that Manning is going to beat him either way, and his best and most calculated move is to go for it.

If this is any other coach in the NFL, this move is laughed off. This was Belichick, the guy who will use any means necessary with no thought of legality to win This was Manning's nemesis. And this was the ultimate compliment.

And Belichick was right: Manning was going to beat him either way.

The Patriots fail to convert, and Manning goes to work. The Colts get close, and Manning does what Tom Brady didn't: make the one throw he had to make, the one that wins the game.

Just before kickoff, NBC ran a poll of the 20 living Hall of Fame quarterbacks on who they'd rather have, Manning or Brady. Four ducked the question, Joe Montana split his vote. Of the remaining 15 Hall of Fame quarterbacks, 13 picked Peyton.

I can look you in the eye with a straight face and tell you I believe he could end his career as the greatest quarterback in the history of football.

Peyton Manning is special. We've always known that. On our podcast last week with Red Cup Rebellion, we spoke of the Mannings in similar language that Tim Tebow currently receives. Those outside the circle may tire of the constant praise, but that doesn't mean it's unearned. But those with ties to Peyton Manning know we've got something truly unique here. And we don't want to see it end.

Watch him. Every chance you get. Sooner or later we'll be tearing down the next generation of QBs because they're not him. But right now, he's at the absolute top of his game. Enjoy this.

I will now return to caring about the Titans and talking about the Vols.

The 50 Best Games of the Fulmer Era - #13: Sixty Minutes and Four Overtimes to Atlanta

Will — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:32:04 -0000

In 1984, Kentucky beat Tennessee 17-12 in Knoxville. Since then, the Vols have won 24 consecutive games against the Cats, the longest active win streak in an annual rivalry in college football. Kentucky has had their chances at various intervals along the way, but the Vols have always found a way to turn them back. There were a pair of four quarter rallies in 1987 & 1988. There was a furious comeback in 1995, with Peyton Manning and the #4 Vols down 31-16 in the third quarter in before scoring the game's final 18 points in a 34-31 win. UK's best teams under Tim Couch had the misfortune of playing UT's best teams, as the Vols beat the Cats 56-10, 59-31 and 59-21 during his time in Lexington in the late 90s.

In this decade, Kentucky has had several opportunities, most notably in 2001 when Jared Lorenzen led Kentucky to a 21-0 lead before faltering in a 38-35 Tennessee win (featured at #30 on our list). And in the last five years, Kentucky has come close three times, only to again and always be turned away.

Two games in Knoxville (2004 and 2006) produced tight fourth quarters, but the Vols still won. But more importantly to the nature of the overall rivalry, two things have happened during the same five year span that have increased the stakes:

Kentucky has become a consistent bowl team, having now made three straight appearances. Rich Brooks has the program moving in the right direction, and the Cats have made themselves into a team that you cannot take lightly. Many thought after Andre Woodson's class graduated in 2007 that UK would go back to the pack, but instead the Cats still got bowl eligible last year while doing a little rebuilding.

But at the same time, Tennessee got good at basketball.

For about 20 years, conversations between UK and UT fans went like this: Tennessee would destroy Kentucky in football, UK fans would say "Wait 'til basketball season", then Kentucky would return the destruction in Rupp Arena and Thompson-Boling, and UT fans would return the favor verbally with "Wait 'til football season." That's how it worked. We had an understanding, and we were on even terms.

But since Bruce Pearl came to Knoxville, things have changed. Pearl's ability to beat Kentucky on an almost even basis - three wins in four years is better than just about anyone else has done in Knoxville - and his consistent ability to finish above the Cats in the standings has thrown a new factor into this rivalry. UT has improved in basketball and UK has improved in football...difference is, Kentucky still hasn't found a way to beat the Vols.

In this increased atmosphere, losers of 22 straight in 2007, you'd think the Vols had run out of ways to break the hearts of the UK faithful. But with a trip to the SEC Championship Game on the line and the ultimate roller coaster season hanging in the balance, Tennessee and Kentucky played one for the ages on November 24, 2007.

13. 2007: #19 Tennessee 52 - Kentucky 50 (4 OT) (Lexington)

The craziest college football season of my lifetime had done a number on both teams as we entered the final week of the regular season. The Vols had lost three games by a combined 77 points, the season opener and to their two biggest rivals. But when the Vols kept trying to give it away, Florida kept giving it back, and when the Gators lost to Georgia in late October, Tennessee needed a string of four consecutive SEC wins to get to Atlanta.

Already bolstered by their dominant win over what would become #2 Georgia, Tennessee went to work. They blew a 21-0 lead against South Carolina, but still found a way to win in overtime. Then a defense that had been maligned all year completely shut down Heisman frontrunner Darren McFadden and Arkansas in a 34-13 win. Then they allowed their old friends at Vanderbilt to build a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, before rallying to win 25-24. The Vols were battered but still standing, and despite Georgia's poll position and Florida's Heisman quarterback, Tennessee needed only to beat Kentucky for the 23rd straight year to get to Atlanta as Eastern Division Champions.

This wasn't the same Kentucky, however. The Cats made their own luck right out of the gate, beating #9 Louisville 40-34. In their first five games, Andre Woodson's attack had scored 40+ points every week in a run that moved them to #8 in the polls. Though they would fall to South Carolina, the Cats came back to stun #1 LSU in triple overtime.

After that, it seemed like Kentucky ran out of gas. When they fell just short against Florida, they were ripe for the letdown against Mississippi State, who pounded them 31-14. They barely beat Vanderbilt and then lost to Georgia, meaning their 6-1 start was now a 7-4 finish. But already bowl eligible, Kentucky would have a chance to end things against their biggest rival, on senior day for so many of their stars.

I sat in the upper deck at Commonwealth Stadium for this one, and was amazed watching the Senior Day introductions at how many of their major contributors were leaving: Andre Woodson, Rafael Little, Keenan Burton, Jacob Tamme, Wesley Woodyard, along with three additional senior starters. One last chance to beat the Vols for all of these guys.

For Tennessee, win and you're dancing in Atlanta. Lose, and you've gone 8-4 with four inexcuseable losses. Like we said, the roller coaster was going to finish at the highest high or the lowest low.

The Vols wasted no time in giving the impression it was going to finish high: David Cutcliffe saw something in the film room, and on the first play the Vols went play action, and then Erik Ainge fired back down the sideline to the trailing Arian Foster.

Later in the quarter, the Vols used a big play from Brad Cottam to set up a quick strike to Lucas Taylor and a 14-0 lead. The Vols had 178 yards of total offense in the first quarter.

The difference between this game and the other long overtime ones is that regulation was plenty good here also. UK answered to make it 14-7 in the second, and Daniel Lincoln knocked home three to make it 17-7. The Cats would have the ball at their own 30 with less than a minute to play in the half, but in trying to get points they made a costly mistake: Xavier Mitchell made a heady play and got his hands on a dump pass, with the rare defensive lineman interception giving Tennessee a chance to add to their lead. And with :17 on the clock, Ainge fired a bullet to Quintin Hancock, giving Tennessee a 24-7 halftime lead.

The Kentucky fans booed The Pride of the Southland at halftime. Which means I probably said "Wait 'til basketball season!" about a hundred times in fifteen minutes.

Six minutes into the third quarter, Kentucky scores to make it 24-14. We started to get a little nervous perhaps, but another Kentucky turnover gave the Vols the ball at UK's 30 with three minutes left in the third. And when Ainge hit Jeff of the Brothers Cottam, the Vols led 31-14 with 1:31 left in the third quarter.

So while I'm working the cell phone from the upper deck trying to round up the caravan for Atlanta next week, Kentucky goes the length of the field in 90 seconds, scoring a touchdown on the final play of the third to make it 31-21. Hmmm.

The Cats would knock on the door again midway through the fourth, scoring with 6:11 to play to make it 31-28. And now, our full attention returns to the game at hand. When the Vols again do nothing offensively, Kentucky gets the ball back with under five to play. A field goal will tie, a touchdown will give them the lead. It happened too fast for us to fully process it.

That's when Jerod Mayo went to the hit stick. Woodson found Jacob Tamme over the middle, but Mayo separated Tamme's consciousness from the ball, and Ricardo Kemp scooped up the interception. All is well, right?

Well, sort of. The Vols move to the 38 but can't get closer, and instead of trying a 55 yard field goal, elect to punt and pin Kentucky back at their own 9 yard line. 3:32 remaining. I told my friend as we sat there, shivering in the cold and the fear, that if Kentucky drove 91 yards in three and a half minutes against our defense, we didn't deserve Atlanta anyway and somebody was getting fired.

Instead, Kentucky drove 90 yards in three and a half minutes. Watching UK's march downfield against our prevent defense was both familiar and incredibly depressing, and with every first down you felt our season and the futures of Phillip Fulmer and John Chavis slip away. The Cats made it to the one yard line with five seconds left, then gave everyone in the stadium four seconds of cardiac arrest when Woodson dropped a shotgun snap, picked it up and rolled right, fired for an open man in the end zone but missed him...all while keeping one precious second still left on the clock. Seriously, did anyone on either side breathe during this play?

The Cats have one second and one yard...and elect to kick an extra point to tie the game and play overtime. Okay.

Watching the highlights again, I think this is a record for the number of times Bob Kesling uses the words "wide open". Kentucky scores in three plays in the first overtime to make it 38-31. At this point the Cats have scored 24 consecutive points, and Tennessee hasn't done anything good on offense in twenty minutes. But one great catch by Gerald Jones will change that:

In the second overtime, disaster strikes. On second down, a pass for Lucas Taylor gets knocked into the air on contact, and with the ball hanging there everyone wearing orange knows what's coming next - a Kentucky player steps in front of it, and it's the overtime turnover kiss of death.

Tennessee fans can't wait to head for the exits. There's an exodus from the upper deck, a full season of frustration now coming full circle, with fans in orange beside themselves with not just depression, but anger. How could you let this game, with two separate second half 17 point leads, and this season, with Atlanta on the line, get away from you...against Kentucky, of all teams, with 22 straight years of victory now heading to the toilet. Meanwhile, now it's Georgia fans on the phone, securing their own tickets to the Georgia Dome...which for me, just gives what happens next an extra burst of joy.

Example #4120581 of why you never leave early: Kentucky runs three plays to the 18 yard line, and then sends Knoxville native Lones Seiber on for a 35 yard field goal that will end 22 years of frustration. And really, this game is the ultimate in Blair Witch video quality:

Never leave early.

Tennessee has their chance in the third overtime. Kentucky scores but fails to convert the two, giving them a 44-38 lead. The Vols face third and eight, but Gerald Jones makes a great move after the catch to get a first down, and on the next play Ainge swings it to Austin Rogers, who darts into the end zone, and now the two can win it for Tennessee.

A great call almost paid off, a shotgun handoff to Arian Foster who goes left, but a great tackle by David Jones ends the threat. Then Foster is handed one of the great injustices of SEC officiating, penalized fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct for flipping the ball when he didn't make it. When Eric Berry was almost decapitated on the blocked field goal return earlier, the 15 yard facemask penalty wasn't awarded because the overtime period had ended, and penalties don't carry over. But this one was considered a dead ball foul, and so the Vols will start their fourth OT possession at the 40 instead of the 25.

It took one play for us to get over it.

This time, the Vols do convert the two, which means we can breathe for the first time in about an hour with a 52-44 lead. The best Kentucky can do is tie and send it to a fifth overtime.

The Cats don't go quietly. UK moves to first and goal at the three, and Derrick Locke punches it in to make it 52-50. So they need the two point conversion to tie and keep playing.

So, I always bring my digital camera with me to games, for tailgating and pregame festivities. I don't like using it during the game because it's distracting, and the two times I'd tried it on big plays in 2006, the Vols gave up 4th down conversions to Florida and LSU, so it was becoming something of a curse. But here, with the 4th OT action on our end of the field, I decided what the hey and tried to see if I could capture a little history:

Sixty minutes, four overtimes, two blown three possession leads, a stop at the one yard line, a blocked field goal, a ridiculous penalty and 22 years of history...and at the end, Tennessee makes it 23, and is the champion of the Eastern Division.

Fun stats:

Total Offense: Kentucky 564, Tennessee 520
Erik Ainge: 28 of 45, 397 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Andre Woodson: 39 of 62, 430 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT

1,000+ yards and 100+ points in a game that was equally compelling in regulation and overtime. And for the Vols, the win here meant everything, putting a roller coaster regular season to its finish on a good note, and securing a championship in 2007. As the Vols play for the silver anniversary against Kentucky in 2009, I'll once again say that I'm sure we've run out of ways to break their hearts...probably...

[Note by Joel, 06/20/09 2:02 PM EDT ] Post script: This game also gave birth to the Fiddler/Teyve meme and this video:

Robert Ayers is the only Vol taken in the NFL Draft

Will — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:20:02 -0000

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Denver Broncos first-round NFL draft pick Robert Ayers, a defensive end from Tennessee, poses with a Broncos jersey at the team's headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, April 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

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For the first time in the history of the modern NFL Draft (since the AFL merger in 1967), Tennessee placed only one player - first round selection Robert Ayers - in the seven rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Connections are sure to be made between this moment of negative history and the downfall of Phillip Fulmer, and perhaps rightfully so. It should be noted that Ayers is the fifth Vol to be taken in the first round in the last four seasons, and that the Vols have had a player selected in the first round 21 of the last 30 years, and have sent 32 players to the first round of the draft in total since 1980. Jerod Mayo's first round selection last season turned into an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year season, so while this isn't really a developing trend, it is a historic moment.

(Check out Tennessee's complete NFL Draft history at the official site here.)

It would take a cataclysmic event to not put Eric Berry and Dan Williams in next year's NFL Draft, not to mention a handful of others who should hear their names called at some point next April. But Ayers' solo experience once again makes us question how much of the 2008 Vol struggles were simply a lack of talent, as opposed to Clawfensive struggles or other misfortune. And likewise, the offensive futility seriously damaged the draft prospects of several Vols, most notably Arian Foster.

Much of that 2008 talent - or lack thereof - will still be wearing orange in September. And regardless of the new season's outcome, much of the blame for struggling may continue to be placed on Phillip Fulmer instead of Lane Kiffin - if the Vols struggle again in 2009, Fulmer will be blamed for devoiding the program of talent, and if the Vols succeed (or perhaps just improve, which isn't asking much in the win column), Fulmer will be blamed for a poor coaching effort by comparison.

Either way, it's a new experience for the Vols to only have 1 of the 256 most NFL ready upperclassmen in college football. Let's hope it's back to normal this time next year.

Robert Ayers: The Rocky Journey to the Top of Tennessee Football

Hooper — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:00:13 -0000

From a Tennessee Volunteers persective, the 2009 NFL Draft will be noted for two things: the small number of Vols who are considered draft prospects, and the incredible rise of the draft stock of Robert Ayers. This article is the first part of what has become a two-phase writeup on Ayers (the second will be up tomorrow morning). Here, I will step through his college football history from high school recruitment through his final year. In the next article, I will look at his draft prospects, which teams are looking at him, and how the draft may play out for him.

This is a lengthier writeup than I first anticipated, so if you just want a pretty, shiny look at his potential, here's the summary YouTube as provided by our own blogmeister Joel:

And now, let's take a look at the journey of Robert Ayers through Rocky Top.

High School Prospect

Ayers was a graduate of Marlboro County High School in Bennettsville/St. Clio, South Carolina in 2004. At the time, recruiting sites like Scout and Rivals preferred him as a linebacker due to his 4.5 (!) 40 time and 227-lb weight. He was fast and had a knack for getting into the backfield in a hurry; in his senior year, nearly a third of his tackles were for loss. Like most high school standouts, Ayers played on both sides of the line of scrimmage (Rivals videos start with ads):

Robert Ayers - St. Clio, (Fullback) @ Rivals Video

And as an inside linebacker:

Robert Ayers - St. Clio, @ Rivals Video

Big. Fast. Strong. You couldn't ask for much more out of a defensive linebacker prospect.

...Well, except for a little maturity

Tennessee: The Early Years

If there was one red flag about Ayers coming out of high school, it was his academic work ethic: he didn't have one. Like so many kids who found their path to popularity through sports, he was content to simply get by in the classroom and enjoy life on the gridiron with little regard to the future. It's a pattern that would come to haunt Ayers in his first few years at Tennessee.

Reshirting the 2004 season, Ayers had little more to do than enjoy campus life, grow, get stronger, and get faster. And that extra time - coupled with a lackadaisical attitude toward his studies - came when the Volunteers football team was perhaps at its most bankrupt point in terms of player responsibility and accountability. Having enjoyed so much success over the last several years (including near-total ownage of the Zookified Gators), the Vols were cocky. Players like "The Future" Kelley Washington had set the tone in previous years with a "me and the NFL" attitude, and several Vols had come to believe that the orange on their backs was a caste mark indicating their inevitable ascension to the country's premier sports league. College was a time to lift weights, look good, keep reasonably out of trouble (with a loose definition of "reasonable"), and prep for the millions of dollars coming down the pike.

That was not the environment Ayers needed at the time. Like so many college kids, time away from home was time to fuel the bad habits that hadn't been eliminated yet. Without rehashing his off-field record, it suffices to say that his final incident with the police came as an aggravated assault charge in 2005 with Jerod Mayo.)

Yet through it all, Ayers continued to get bigger and stronger. By the time 2005 rolled around, the red shirt was removed to reveal a legitimate defensive end. Like so many under Fulmer, Ayers didn't start in his first year as a player, though he made an entrance into 9 games. The stat line wasn't very impressive in relief duty (6 total tackles, 1 sack for a loss), but he was now working his way onto the field.

Reality Check: The Humbling of a Beast

For those who don't follow the Vols, that last paragraph's recap of the 2005 season sweeps a tremendous amount of dirt under the rug. 2005 is known in the Big Orange land as TSOWWDNS (The Season Of Which We Do Not Speak): the year where the preseason 3rd-ranked Volunteers finally fell to their own hubris to end with a 5-6 record - the first losing record ever under Fulmer and the only year they ever lost to Vanderbilt (and that in Neyland Stadium, of all places). A general lack of team unity and purpose, and a lack of cohesiveness at the quartback position brought humility to the Vols in a big, big way. Oddly enough, this may very well have been the best thing that could have happened to Ayers.

For all of his neck-hugging and butt-kicking, Fulmer had a hard time getting through to Ayers in the early years. It's not hard to understand why: when a self-admittedly immature 19-year old has a few coaches telling him to grow up, a whole team of players fueling his playful instincts, and a seemingly inevitable track to the NFL Draft, one of the two messages is at a severe disadvantage. 2005 largely changed all of that; the clean-up of attitudes progressed at a much quicker pace once the team learned they were not invincible. Slowly and fitfully, character began to re-emerge in the team as players realized that the privileged post-collegiate existence they had come to assume was not at all certain.

Slowly, reality set in and the hunger returned, but it was not all at once.

Fulmer's Final Legacy

Though the off-field issues ended for Ayers in 2005, he still had his academic problems to work through. The kid just wasn't a good student. Between his early legal problems and a tendency to flirt with academic ineligibility, Ayers's total off-field record would have been sufficient to keep him riding pine (or perhaps dismissed) from some other teams. Yet the one character trait of Fulmer that was both his biggest weakness and his biggest strength was his willingness to give players a second chance. Fulmer knew very well that most of his players had no recourse if they failed to complete college; they would simply return to their previous lives and pick up where they left off. In the case of an athlete with a hard-luck background, Fulmer often felt that yanking a scholarship was equivalent to condemning the player to a failed life. Whether this level of compassion is justified is a debate for another day, but it suffices to note that Fulmer would not drop a player that he felt still had a chance to turn his life around. Sometimes, Fulmer was burned by this approach.

And sometimes, Fulmer was right.

Somewhere in the middle of the uncertainty, the humility, the academic issues, and the inevitable nearing of the end of a college career, Ayers began to realize that racuous living had a very short shelf life. Slowly (and probably very painfully at times), he began to develop the personal maturity that he had lacked previously. There is little mention in news articles about the turnaround in these years, but reading articles about Ayers prior to 2006 compared to articles written after 2007 shows a complete turnaround: the timbre changed from writing about a physically gifted kid with little room for sense to a beast of a man who was a team leader and on pace to graduate.

2008: The Dream Comes Alive

The struggle to turn a life around isn't easy. Bad habits are very difficult to kill, especially when the temptation to feed those habits is still very much alive. Change is coupled with frustration when the mind and body are tasked with responsibilities they've never handled before. Progress is very difficult to notice, and months may go by without any feeling of accomplishment.

But at some point, there may be a moment where all of the effort shows payoff, and the accomplishments of a life changed are instantly recognizable. That moment came for Robert Ayers in the summer of 2008. During the marketing runup for the upcoming football season, billboards across Knoxville began to be covered with UT football ads. Photos of Fulmer, Eric Berry, Jonathan Crompton, and Arian Foster grew to life. And the most prominent UT football billboard in all of Knoxville - the one located near campus off I-40 just east of the Alcoa highway exit - featured only one person.

Robert Ayers.

The pose (seen here in its reproduction in poster form) marked the defensive end from South Carolina as the image of the new campaign, "Carry the Fight". Seeing himself on the billboard, Ayers suddenly realized how much the team had come to depend on the one-time classroom slacker. One of the defensive campaigns for the 2008 year, Ayers turned in one of the brightest performances in all of the SEC during the second - and final - losing campaign of Fulmer's career.

When asked about his off-field issues at the NFL Combine, Ayers was very up-front and honest. He freely admitted his problems during his college career and took the blame upon himself for all of them. He also noted that his last legal altercation was in 2005, that he turned an academic train wreck into graduation, and that he was a defensive captain and First-Team All-SEC. It took some hard lessons along the way, but the St. Clio standout athlete learned to couple his physical gifts with off-field maturity and turn himself into a complete player. It remains to be seen how much his draft stock is affected by having only started for one season, but whoever does pick him up can safely know that he's a character guy: he's "been there, done that" and has ended that chapter in his life.

When Robert Ayers is the first Vol taken in the NFL Draft in 2009, he will be the final star in the Fulmer legacy of caring about his players perhaps a bit too much.